The vendor opportunity at Units
Units is a home-services franchise with a compact but high-value footprint: 74 total locations, 70 of which are franchised. The system generated an average unit volume (AUV) of $734,542, with a 4.0% royalty rate flowing back to the franchisor. For a software vendor, the immediate addressable market is those 70 franchised locations, plus the 4 company-owned units that may serve as a testbed for corporate-led technology initiatives. The brand is independently owned, with no parent company on file, meaning decisions are made by a lean HQ team rather than a distant corporate parent.
The unit count contracted by 1.4% year-over-year, a signal that the franchisor may be focused on operational efficiency and unit-level profitability. That focus often creates an opening for vendors who can demonstrate a clear ROI on cost savings or revenue generation. The operator base is predominantly single-unit owners: 67 operators run just one location, while only 4 operators are multi-unit, controlling between 2 and 9 units each. No operator controls 10 or more locations. This fragmented ownership structure means any enterprise-wide software sale will need HQ endorsement, as individual franchisees lack the scale to drive system-wide adoption on their own.
Who controls software purchasing
The buying center at Units is compact and clearly identifiable from the FDD. Michael McAlhany serves as President and CEO, and Holly G. McAlhany holds the Vice President title. Dan O’Dea is the Chief Financial Officer, a role that typically holds significant sway over any technology expenditure that impacts unit economics or requires a capital outlay. Erik Lorensen, Vice President of Franchise Operations, and Joe Manuszak, Director of Operations, are the operational stakeholders who would evaluate any software that touches franchisee workflows, scheduling, or service delivery.
Because the franchisor has not mandated any specific technology stack, the HQ team functions as a gatekeeper rather than an implementer. A vendor’s path to adoption likely runs through the CFO for financial approval and the VP of Franchise Operations for field-level buy-in. The absence of a named CIO or CTO suggests that technology decisions are absorbed into existing leadership roles rather than managed by a dedicated IT function.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is silent on mandated or recommended technology systems. No POS provider, CRM, scheduling platform, or field-service management tool is named in the available disclosures. This absence is itself a data point: it means the system operates without a standardized tech stack, and franchisees are likely using a patchwork of off-the-shelf or legacy tools to run their businesses.
For a software vendor, this represents a greenfield opportunity. A vendor that can package a compelling operational suite—covering scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and customer communication—and present it to HQ as a system-wide standard could capture the entire network. The lack of an incumbent vendor also means there is no displacement battle; the sale is about adoption, not replacement.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically discloses procurement obligations and designated suppliers, was not captured in the available extract. Without that signal, the procurement model remains unconfirmed, but the absence of any mandated technology points toward an open or approved-supplier framework. Vendors should approach HQ directly to understand whether there is a formal vendor approval process or whether franchisees are free to select their own tools.
Renewal timing offers a secondary window for software conversations. The initial franchise term is 10 years, and renewal requires the franchisee to sign the then-current Franchise Agreement, which may contain materially different royalty, advertising, and operational terms. The renewal fee is $25,000. A franchisee approaching renewal is already facing a significant contractual and financial decision point, which can be a natural moment to introduce new technology that improves unit economics. However, with only 74 units in the system and a negative growth rate, the volume of renewals in any given year is small.
How to read the Units FDD
The 2025 Units Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding the legal and financial relationship between franchisor and franchisee. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 11 (franchisor’s obligations), which would disclose any mandated technology or training requirements, and Item 8 (restrictions on sources of products and services), which defines the procurement model. The full FDD is embedded below for your review. Use it to validate the addressable market, identify contractual hooks for technology adoption, and understand the franchisor’s enforcement power over franchisee operations.
For a ranked target list of franchise brands matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize the right opportunities.